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<whitequark>
wpwrak: (cyanogen) I have cyanogen, of course
<whitequark>
the stock firmware is not only absolutely close-sourced, but also horribly unusable
<whitequark>
not like in "not as good as iphone" but more like "oh crap is this fucking beta?!!"
<whitequark>
prior to installing cyanogen, I've almost entirely lost my faith in Google making something usable
<whitequark>
actually, that wasn't Google's fault.
<whitequark>
cyanogen isn't ideal either--some nitpicking applies, and browser hangs sometimes--but it is really really good. I'd say it approaches Apple's software quality in several areas
<whitequark>
it's CM 7, which is based on Android 2.3. People say that CM9 based on Android 4 is even better, but it is not ready for my phone yet
<whitequark>
as per the blobs
<whitequark>
CM "releases" for different phones actually consist of identical CM codebase + blobs extracted from the stock firmware
<whitequark>
so it's just the same (except that blobs are often written by idiots and fail because of some minor differences, and _also_ some of them don't work with CM 9 because of ABI changes)
<whitequark>
(close-sourced stock fw) Samsung has released the full kernel sources--there are no kernel binary drivers--but there are blobs in Android, and they didn't obviously released any of their Android modifications
<whitequark>
another thing I like about this phone is its bootloader: a) unbrickable b) not tivoized.
<whitequark>
it tracks the count of reflashes, and I think records if a custom firmware was ever installed on phone, but you won't need to get support due to software problems (see a), and I never heard of people whose phone got rejected on warranty service because of custom firmware, if there was a hardware problem.
<wpwrak>
still sounds like an unfriendly place to be. i think i'll stick with my cute little x830 dumbphone for a little longer ;-)
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<whitequark>
wpwrak: depends on your definition of "friendly"
<whitequark>
yes, it has blobs. My notebook does, too: fglrx.
<whitequark>
otherwise, the OS is fine. I'm more worried about applications. Android doesn't have very fine-grained permission model (I doubt it could have it without imposing needless restrictions), and they're closed-source
<whitequark>
I think twice before installing anything.
<whitequark>
e.g. all applications which want to save any sensible amount of data--games, anything with cache, etc.--has the "read and write SD card permission"
<whitequark>
*have
<whitequark>
they could as well gather all of my passwords and dump them somewhere.
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<whitequark>
for example, I'm looking at permissions for Angry Birds now
<whitequark>
"modify/delete SD card contents"
<whitequark>
"coarse (network-based) location"
<whitequark>
"full Internet access"
<whitequark>
"read phone state and identity"
<whitequark>
this is just a huge WTF.
<whitequark>
no, really? phone identity?
<wpwrak>
;-)
<wpwrak>
android - bringing all the joy of the windows world to linux-based telephony :)
<whitequark>
just what I thought
<whitequark>
for decades, firewalls were required in *nix world to prevent something getting inside
<whitequark>
and in the *doze world to prevent what's already inside from spreading further
<whitequark>
but at least I can finally trust my OS. This is, I should note, not true with dumbphones.
<wpwrak>
the key to security on dumbphones is simply that they can't do much :)
<whitequark>
I, personally, can't live without GPS
<whitequark>
that has some implications.
<whitequark>
a separate GPS navigator is an option, but it's easier to not install anything you see on Market.
<kristianpaul>
wpwrak: yes, you just said it (bring windows)
<whitequark>
my personal plan on reducing the amount of crap in the world is as follows:
<whitequark>
a) identify crap b) contain it c) destroy by replacing with something better
<whitequark>
android is on step b).
<wpwrak>
step c) sounds good :)
<whitequark>
I mean, in the whole ecosystem. As OS it approaches c).
<kristianpaul>
just OS?
<whitequark>
kristianpaul: sadly, you still have all the binary drivers and unholy GSM, and you can't do anything with the latter
<wpwrak>
and i really wonder if my fridge has decided to die this year ... that would be a rather inconvenient moment. or maybe it's just defrosting.
<whitequark>
and the state of mobile applications isn't very promising when it comes to FOSS
<kristianpaul>
just defrosting is not very commoun unless scheduled :-)
<whitequark>
wpwrak: err... can your fridge decide to go defrosting on its own? sounds scary
<wpwrak>
kristianpaul: oh, it does that automatically from time to time. just seems to let things get suspiciously warm.
<kristianpaul>
wow !
<whitequark>
a machine rebel!
<kristianpaul>
my mom will like that ;)
<wpwrak>
whitequark: i think better modern fridges normally do that
<wpwrak>
the critter is almost ten years old. i'm not sure if it's just coincidence or if its age is showing.
<whitequark>
as per that osmocombb link (catcher)
<whitequark>
I really hope that the developers live in a good place no government on Earth knows about
<kristianpaul>
too dramatic :)
<whitequark>
that wasn't entirely serious :)
<whitequark>
it's not that particular project, through
<whitequark>
the whole GSM situation is a bomb waiting to explode
<whitequark>
a textbook example on why you don't do closed protocols
<kristianpaul>
GSM explode by it self i bet :)
<kristianpaul>
and obsolete sooner or latter
<whitequark>
yeah, it's more surprising that it has not exploded yet
<whitequark>
(obsolete) I don't know practically anything on LTE or another 3-to-5 letter acronyms
<whitequark>
but I bet they're quite similar in that sense
<wpwrak>
telcos hate nothing more than change. did you know that ATM (that's 155 Mbps and beyond technology, which was fast at its time) signaling still included dialing individual digits ? so you could send the destination address one digit per signaling message ...
<whitequark>
LOL
<kristianpaul>
not surprising :)
<whitequark>
this considerably raises the bar on the most stupid technology thing I've seen
<whitequark>
wpwrak: are you sure it's nothing like an April's fool RFC? :D
<wpwrak>
that wuold be more the domain of all the crazy "tcp without tcp" schemes they hatched in the atm world
<kristianpaul>
udp :)
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<qi-bot>
Jon Phillips: Via @qihardware qihardware: Open Hardware Manufacturing (from China) http://t.co/CVCY1QODhttp://t.co/9KdjM3JV ( 152939504087465986@rejon - 8s ago via Ping.fm )
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<whitequark>
pabs3: thanks
<pabs3>
whitequark: theres also http://replicant.us/ if you want to get rid of the OS blobs
<pabs3>
personally I would bet on FSO and distros containing it though
<whitequark>
pabs3: err, no WiFi, no BT
<whitequark>
sorry, I bought that phone because it has WiFi
<whitequark>
not the other way around
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<pabs3>
whitequark: eh? Replicant is an Android fork, not a phone :)
<viric>
pabs3: it does not plan to support wifi
<viric>
pabs3: it's in their list of "what we will probably never achieve"
<pabs3>
viric: I guess you can copy the wifi blobs from CM or plain Android
<whitequark>
pabs3: then how it will be different from CM?
<whitequark>
CM is already FOSS
<whitequark>
*
<whitequark>
* except for blobs copied from stock fw, obviously
<whitequark>
but without blobs it's unusable.
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<DocScrutinizer>
wpwrak: one of my fridges one day decided to mutate to a breeding box, butter inside was melting liquid. It definitely exaggerated the defrosting, both in temperature rise and duration (which was 'infinite')
<wpwrak>
that must be why they warn of that "dual use" technology ;-)
<DocScrutinizer>
basically "switching" is as easy as cutting one wire of the starter C, so compressor motor doesn't start turning anymore, still consumes ~100W. The Freon "heatpipe" will conventiently transport the heat from motor to vaporizer inside
<DocScrutinizer>
of course a simple blocked bearing will do as well
<DocScrutinizer>
only inconvenience: usually the thermostat isn't built to control that operation mode, so you can't set your fridge to 35°C for breeding canary eggs
<viric>
I thought of selling my hp49g on ebay...
<viric>
noone gives a cent for that
<viric>
I should have done that 10 years ago
<wpwrak>
viric: wait another 10 years :)
<DocScrutinizer>
hmmm HP49
* DocScrutinizer
sobs a little thinking of his HP45CV that got incinerated some 4 years ago
<wpwrak>
what, not a HP41 ? now i'm disappointed
<DocScrutinizer>
errr, 41? Look, my brain rots
<DocScrutinizer>
I'd not be surprised if this was related to the incident that killed my HP calculator. I don't want to know what toxic fumes that fire produced and exposed me to
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<DocScrutinizer>
NiCad cells, LiIon cells, several handheld devices, all incinerated *indoors* - with me extinguishing the fire (and burning my face)
<viric>
oh
<DocScrutinizer>
sure, looking at the wikipedia picture, it obviously been a hp-41cv
<wpwrak>
hah ! :)
<DocScrutinizer>
meh, hp-49 has a crappy keyboard
<whitequark>
DocScrutinizer: why the fire has started?
<DocScrutinizer>
probably a runaway NiMH battery in a "table hoover" that sat on his charging bay
<DocScrutinizer>
but nobody can tell from the ashes
<DocScrutinizer>
cheap chinese crap, charging the batteries with constant current all the time, from a poorly stabilized wallwart PSU
<DocScrutinizer>
once a NiMH runs away and gets hot, there's no stopping anymore
<DocScrutinizer>
as voltage drops, thus current increaes -> even ore heat produced
<viric>
DocScrutinizer: yes, very bad keyboard compared to hp48
<DocScrutinizer>
the keys were the one most outstanding thing of good HP calculators like HP-25, HP-41
<viric>
I only experienced 48 and 49
<viric>
oh In 2003, the CAS source code of the 49G ROM was released under the LGPL.
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* kristianpaul
sold its HP50g to buy the Nanonote
<kristianpaul>
i wasnt using latelly so much anyway since learn bit of scilab and discover some CAS for linux
<kristianpaul>
but i miss the keyboard :/
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<kristianpaul>
hmm btw no Maxima in the nanonote..
<kristianpaul>
openwrt's*
<kristianpaul>
viric: just 49G?
<kristianpaul>
interesting
<kristianpaul>
why i dint knew that..
<DocScrutinizer>
hp50g looks "decent" - would like to get one
<DocScrutinizer>
but for today it's just cursing my company for doing wages money transfer just yesterday, so neither hp50g nor anything else for me this year :-(
<viric>
kristianpaul: didn't know what?
<kristianpaul>
viric: relesed sourced code for 49g
<viric>
ah
<kristianpaul>
released*
<viric>
me neither.
<DocScrutinizer>
probably I won't be able to afford the public transport ticket to go to work on Monday ;-P
<kristianpaul>
??
<viric>
DocScrutinizer: this year? There is little left of this year
<DocScrutinizer>
exactly
<DocScrutinizer>
that's what's pissing me off
<DocScrutinizer>
no shopping this year, no food nor booze for this night, no shopping for next week's working days - whatever I planned to buy between xmess and new year
<viric>
oh.
<viric>
I'm sorry
<DocScrutinizer>
a credit with 0% interest for the employer, from every employee
<viric>
they did the wages transfer yesterday, or did not?
<DocScrutinizer>
they allegedly did, now it's between the banks
<viric>
ah ok
<DocScrutinizer>
hell, this is no better than working as freelancer
<DocScrutinizer>
where I also sent my invoice last of month usually
<viric>
error: cannot download mplayer_jz47xx-0.1.2.tar.gz from any mirror
<DocScrutinizer>
so WTF are they paying just a third of what a freelancer would earn?
<viric>
companies are made to give money to company owners
<viric>
not for any other purpose
<DocScrutinizer>
indeed, and it's making me sick to get abised by them
<DocScrutinizer>
abused
<viric>
abusing is a good way of making money
<DocScrutinizer>
hire experts, send them to a company for much money, pay then a fraction of what they earn you, and then even transfer that money at latest possible point in time
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<lars_>
DocScrutinizer: 1/3 before or after taxes?
<DocScrutinizer>
hmm, maybe 1/4 after
<DocScrutinizer>
like 40% before
<lars_>
you should probably not have signed that contract
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<lars_>
because here in germany your employer pays about half of it
<DocScrutinizer>
depends, this time on country I guess
<lars_>
yes, but we are talking about you
<DocScrutinizer>
I can't see how I pay any social taxes as a freelancer
<viric>
here employers pay the social security, after that we name it 'bruto', then the employee pays the taxes, and after that, we name it 'netto'.
<DocScrutinizer>
it's more like I pay for pension now that I'll never get
<lars_>
no health insurance?
<DocScrutinizer>
well, that been like 5..10% of my bruto income as freelancer, for the last few jobs
<wpwrak>
and taxes are probably progressive. so with a lower income, you also lose a smaller fraction to feeding the banksters
<DocScrutinizer>
definitely not that much
<DocScrutinizer>
I'm anyway already close to max of almost 50% incl all with my income
<wpwrak>
if the visible tax burden is suddenly much worse after becoming an employee, then you may not have paid all the taxes before :)
<DocScrutinizer>
and for freelancers there's no such progression
<lars_>
DocScrutinizer: i would way if you'd get 55%-65% brutto of your freelancer income it would be ok
<DocScrutinizer>
for health at least
<lars_>
less is bad, more is good
<wpwrak>
DocScrutinizer: not health insurance but other taxes
<lars_>
'i would say'
<DocScrutinizer>
wpwrak: I got no unemployment ensurance as frelancer, so hadn't to pay for it
<DocScrutinizer>
I got no pension taxes to pay as freelancer as well
<DocScrutinizer>
and my health insurance was definitely less as well
<lars_>
you pay more although you earn less?
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<DocScrutinizer>
I got a completely different class of insurance for health
<viric>
now you get a hospital room for you, if you catch a cold?
<DocScrutinizer>
haha
<DocScrutinizer>
I got that before, after paying my own share of max 2000EUR per year
<DocScrutinizer>
private insurance
<DocScrutinizer>
now I pay more, for less
<viric>
ok
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<DocScrutinizer>
but not paying any 2000€ on my own, so every fool can visit doc 8 times a month, asking for whatever prescription, and that's what makes this insurance WAY more expensive
<DocScrutinizer>
which "doesn't care, as employer does all that for you, so you got no choice anyway
<DocScrutinizer>
"working in Taipei" was the most economic thing, regarding taxes
<mstevens>
I played with an android tablet today, I was surprised how non-crap they are
<mstevens>
from a UI perspective
<kristianpaul>
i can imagine
<kristianpaul>
i always was curios to check first UI for android early devices witn no touch, i guess/hope they can be inspiring for our little nanonote
<pabs3>
wolfspraul: can you pastebin for those of us who disable JS?
<mstevens>
I should see what the current nanonote software is like